There is a long explanation of why what was ruled a simultaneous catch by Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate for a 24-yard Hail Mary touchdown was the correct call, but the league missed a chance to come clean on its biggest mistake—putting replacement referees in charge in the first place.

"The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review," read the statement's most definitive lines. "The result of the game is final."

In other words, the Packers got robbed and the league can't do anything do about reversing the result—even though that's one of the powers commissioner Roger Goodell does have, when the situation merits.

While coming to its roundabout conclusion on the final call, the NFL provided only subtle criticism of the officiating in the third paragraph.

"When the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game."

That acknowledgement, admitting what happened shouldn't have ever happened, is a further insult to what everyone knows should have been a Packers win.

The league statement ends with more contradiction when it cites the rulebook on "simultaneous catch." Based on how Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings controlled the ball and Tate did not, even that wasn’t good enough for the NFL to at least print its version of a retraction.

"It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control."

There was no mention of the "simultaneous call" in the corner of the end zone that caused the confusion, with one official not sure if he should rule a touchback and other not sure if he should rule a touchdown.

Meanwhile, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith composed a letter to players in which he told them he would review "any and all possible actions to protect" them.

"While the focus today is about a blown call and the outcome of one football game, our focus as a family of players is and will remain squarely on workplace safety," Smith wrote.

The Packers lost and the Seahawks won, and nothing will change that. We can only hope the resulting public relations nightmare will cause the NFL to feel a sense of urgency in its continued private negotiations with the Referees Association.

It's unfortunate if it would take a controversial defeat by one of the NFL's signature franchises to finally prompt the league's owners into striking a deal with the officials' union. But at this point, for fans of every team, that's the more important victory at stake.